A study looks into the blood sugar benefits of mulberry extract.
According to a recent study from Unilever R&D, the potential advantages of mulberry fruit extracts to reduce blood sugar and insulin spikes after a meal may be possible at a lower dose than previously reported.
According to research published in the British Journal of Nutrition, favorable benefits for blood sugar control can occur at dosages as little as 0.37 grams.
The possible advantages were connected to a particular bioactive known as deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), which is a documented inhibitor of the enzyme alpha-glucosidase, inhibiting carbohydrate digestion such as starch and sugar.
“These trials demonstrated that doses of mulberry fruit extract as low as 0.37g mulberry fruit extract, containing 2 mg DNJ, produced a consistent reduction in the post-prandial glucose and post-prandial insulin response to a realistic carbohydrate load from boiled rice, with no apparent evidence of malabsorption or intolerance,” the Unilever R&D researchers wrote.
The study adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the use of mulberry extracts for blood sugar control and anti-diabetes benefits. Other research has looked at extracts from mulberry leaves as well as fruit extracts. The article appeared in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Extracts are currently on the market, with claims that they can help with blood sugar control and weight loss.
The current study expands on previous research by Unilever R&D, which discovered that 1.5 grams of mulberry fruit extract might considerably lower blood sugar and insulin spikes after a meal.
The researchers conducted two experiments with healthy Indian people aged 20 to 50, using boiling rice as the carbohydrate source. In the first study, 84 participants were randomized at random to receive boiling rice and one of five different dosages of mulberry fruit extract: 0, 0.37, 0.75, 1.12, and 1.5 g.
Post-prandial glucose levels were lowered by 23 percent to 27 percent, whereas post-prandial insulin levels were reduced by 14 to 35 percent.
Because the lowest (0.37 gram) dose had consistent results, the second study looked into the possibility of even lower doses. Again, 84 persons were randomized at random to one of four mulberry extracts in cooked rice: 0, 0.04, 0.12, and 0.37 g.
Only the 0.37 g dosage resulted in substantial decreases in post-prandial glucose (approximately 20%) and post-prandial insulin in the second study (about 17 percent ).
“The evidence implies that mulberry fruit extract might be employed to accomplish these advantages as a commercial food component, provided additional technical, safety, and consumer acceptance requirements are met,” the researchers stated.
“Given the probable method of action, the results should be clearly validated to additional mulberry fruit extract sources with similar characteristics, as well as other sources and preparations of highly digested starch.”